A Tank?
by Sarcastic-Bones
Summary: Just a little conversation between Jess and Becker later that day, after the events of 5x1. This stemmed from an idea about Becker complaining he wanted a tank.


**I couldn't resist after Becker's face on the phone to Lester. :) The idea started off as a conversation between him and Jess about the tank, but it ended up talking about the events of the day. Yes, including the tank. :)**

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><p>Jess was stirring a cup of tea in the ARC's staff kitchen. Almost everyone had gone home by now - it was half past eight and the majority of the staff left exactly on five thirty, when their shift was officially over.<p>

Jess, on the other hand, had stayed behind to make sure everything was up to date, paperwork-wise. Blowing up a building resulted in a lot of paperwork.

As bleary eyed and stressed as she was, not that anyone ever saw her anything less than optimistic, she was glad Becker had stayed behind too.

Who was she kidding, she was always glad when Becker stayed behind.

"You know what we need?"

He announced, entering the room and jumping up onto the counter beside her, jogging her tea slightly and causing some of it to spill over the brim of the mug.

She titled her head and looked up at Becker to give him her best disapproving look, then wiped the tea away with a cloth.

Becker didn't noticed her look, he remained staring at the wall opposite.

"A sign that warns people not to sit on the counter?" She teased, slapping him gently on the arm to shoo him off the side.

He complied, in turn giving her _his _best disapproving look at not taking his question seriously.

Becker followed Jess over to the table and took a seat opposite her.

"Seriously, Jessica, I really think we'd benefit from getting one."

Jess laughed her carefree, musical laugh, causing Becker's eyebrows to crease. She knew exactly what he was talking about and refused to indulge him in the game.

"Lester isn't going to buy you a tank, Becker."

"What if I convinced him of the benefits of investing?" He asked.

"Let me rephrase that," Jess corrected herself, pausing to take a sip of her tea. "Matt would never let you anywhere near a tank."

"Why not? I'm safer than Connor!" Becker grumbled.

Jess laughed again. "Okay, I'll give you that."

They lapsed into silence for a moment, both evidently imagining the situation because after a few seconds Jess suddenly asked, "Oh dear, could you imagine Connor near a tank?"

Becker shook his head in disbelief, a mixture of horror at what could happen and relief that he knew he would never let it happen clear on his face. "I really don't want to."

Jess smiled in response as she brought her tea cup to her mouth, blowing on the drink to cool it down. Becker watched her in silence for a moment.

"Don't you want biscuits with that?" He asked, his eyebrows creasing.

"Why would I want biscuits?" She genuinely looked confused. "Tea is a liquid - it's supposed to be drunk, Becker."

He raised his eyebrows in judgement to show his disagreement, but didn't push it any further. "What if I convinced Lester to invest in an EMD Tank? For the anomalies?"

"Do those even exist?" Jess asked, unable to stop her smile at his persistence.

"I'm sure Connor could build one."

She nodded, "If anyone could, it's Connor. However, I think turning up at an anomaly site with a _tank_ would eliminate any subtlety we already have."

He just grunted in return as Jess stood up and took her mug to the sink, washing it.

Just as she began drying the mug, she heard Becker's chair scrape against the floor as he came to stand right beside her, leaning casually on the side of the counter, observing her.

"You know, I never liked those EMD's," he commented quietly, "but Matt was right, they do come in handy sometimes."

Jess glanced at him sideways with an amused expression on her face. "You just don't like change, Becker. Remember when I started working here? You put up a good fight against Matt being in charge and the new way things were organised, but now it's just routine for us. Just like you went so far as to have Matt shoot you with that EMD when they were first brought in."

She gave him another disapproving look, this time teasing him. He tried to stop himself from smiling because she was, but he couldn't.

As he remembered that moment he remembered just how terrible he'd felt when he'd been dragged up from the floor by Matt - he'd had a pounding headache, blurry vision and felt incredibly sick.

Yes, he wasn't the biggest fan of the EMD's.

"Except I still don't like them, Jessica," he shook his head at the thought of the weapons. "Situations like today just prove that the EMD's are a good _idea_, but they're not as effective as proper guns, proper weapons."

Jess placed the mug back in the cupboard then turned to him, "Well then, that's one good thing about not having a tank…"

"What's that?" He asked, tilting his head in curiosity.

"Lester and Matt would most certainly confiscate your guns as compensation."

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><p>He followed her out into the main ARC area: Jess headed directly to her computer, he followed, pulling up a chair beside her but out of the way.<p>

Leaning on the side of her desk, head resting on his folded arms, he stared at the blur of numbers in front of him. Jess appeared to know what they meant, because she began typing furiously on the keyboard, swivelling in her chair every now and then to add something to the screen behind her.

After ten minutes or so Jess all but forgot Becker was there. If she hadn't known him better she would have thought he was asleep - he hardly moved - but she did know him, and Becker would never sleep at work.

Her attention was drawn back to him as the last stray team member working late packed up her things and left as Becker mumbled into his arms, "It must be nice knowing there's someone worrying about you."

The comment was so unexpected, and it was so unlike Becker to open up about his personal feelings too much, that Jess paused, hardly breathing, for a moment. When she was sure her movements weren't going to have an effect on what he said, she slowly swivelled back to face him, curious.

"Abby and Connor?" She asked tentatively.

Becker remained staring at the screen but replied quietly to Jess, "Yeah, it just got me thinking, you know?"

Jess couldn't help but look over her shoulder, scanning the room for anybody listening in. They were alone. The only light was that coming from the computer screen, the small lamp on the desk a few metres away and from the fluorescent lighting in Lester's office.

"Abby was really worried about Connor, wasn't she?" Jess asked quietly.

"Terrified," Becker confirmed.

Just as Jess was about to join him in leaning on the desk, Becker seemed to have a sudden change of mood and sat up, smiling at her. "But it all worked out in the end."

"As usual," Jess grinned. "How's Connor's leg?"

"He'll live, but he won't be able to put too much weight on it for the next couple of days."

"Oh no, does that mean I'll have him moping about here for a while?" Jess complained.

Becker stood up, grinning mischievously at her. "Goodnight, Jessica," he told her amusedly.

Before he left he placed his foot on the chair but, instead of tying his shoelaces, as Jess thought he would, he pulled his trouser leg up slightly and took out an EMD from the holster on his ankle. He placed it beside her keyboard.

Jess' eyes widened in surprise.

"How many do you carry with you?" She blurted out.

Becker smirked at her, re-strapping the holster and placing the EMD back. "As many as I need, Jessica."

He turned and walked to the lift, waving over his shoulder as he did so. When he reached the doors and they opened Jess remembered something.

"Becker?"

"Yes?"

"On the plus side, you did get to blow up a building today."

She heard his laughter echo as the doors closed.

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><p><strong>Thank you for reading. I'd love a review? I've never written Jess or Becker before so I'd love to know what you think?<strong>


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